Camp News

More Than Just Day Camp: Other Services at Frogbridge

By frogbridgedc on April 12th, 2018

Learn About Frogbridge’s Other Divisions

Over the years, you’ve come to know Frogbridge for offering the finest New Jersey summer camp experience. However, there is much more than just summer camp that goes on at Frogbridge. Here are some of the other “divisions” of Frogbridge that you might not have known about.

Tadpole Village Preschool

Tadpole Village is owned by Frogbridge and is a preschool for children between the ages of two-and-a-half and six years. Led by our very own Dr. Lisa Polvere, students can develop their academic skills by completing fun, age-appropriate activities. Class sizes are relatively small, because we want to make sure we can devote enough time to work with each student individually.

Tadpole Village utilizes many of the spectacular facilities found at our summer camp, including an outdoor playground, a computer lab, a craft studio, and our 6,000 sq. ft gymnasium. Special events are held throughout the year, including a Holiday Show in December, our Halloween hayrides, our parent’s day picnic and two Scholastic book fairs.

Frogbridge Picnics & Events

Frogbridge Picnics and Events has been creating unforgettable experiences for companies of various sizes, as well as school picnics and family reunions. When camp is not in session, many of the same great amenities your campers enjoy all summer are available through the picnic packages offered at Frogbridge. Some of the amenities you can use for your event include our pool complex, sports fields golf driving range, tennis courts, go karts, rock climbing, zip lines, bumper cars, and so much more. There are various menus depending on what type of picnic you choose, and you will always have additional entertainment and menu options available to you.

Windows on the Water at Frogbridge

Sources: Nicole Klym Photography

Windows on the Water at Frogbridge is one of the best venues in New Jersey to celebrate your wedding (as voted by WeddingWire and The Knot readers). It’s a private lakeside resort set amidst 86-manicured acres of natural landscape. This wedding reception venue has a stunning air conditioned, outdoor draped tent that can comfortably accommodate up to 300 guests with ample room for the dance floor. Source: Koje Photography Step outside to our two-tied waterside patio, and you’ll discover a perfect location to host a ceremony, cocktail hour, dancing or desserts. In addition to weddings, our venue hosts corporate picnics, Bar/Bat-Mitzvahs, Communions and other special occasions. Give us a call to tour our grounds to see for yourself how beautiful it really is. As you can see, Tadpole Village Pre-School, Frogbridge Picnics & Events, and Windows on the Water at Frogbridge are run with the same level of expertise and service you’ve come to trust from Frogbridge Day Camp.

Interested in learning more about each division?

There’s Something For Every Camper at Frogbridge Day Camp!

By frogbridgedc on March 30th, 2018

Activities for Every Camper at Frogbridge

In your research of summer camps, you might find that many of them have an emphasis on sports. At Frogbridge, we understand that every child has his or her own unique interests and tastes. Campers in 2nd through 7th grades are offered electives to find activities that suit their tastes, while younger campers get to dabble in each activity on our campus. We wanted to highlight our various recreational activities and show that there is something for every camper’s taste at Frogbridge!

Acting, Singing & Dancing

Our performing arts electives are extremely popular with campers. Our Theatreworks program puts on a show for campers and their parents during the final week of camp. Each camper will attend practices every Monday-Thursday during the duration of camp, so campers in our eight-week program will be selected for major roles. Last year, TheatreWorks put on a performance of “Seussical.” Check out the trailer from our performance last year of “Once On This Island,” and discover the magic we put into every production. Campers who are enrolled four or six weeks are welcome to join in on supporting roles or to enjoy the various other fine arts programs Frogbridge has to offer. Hops ‘n Bops is perfect for those who are into singing, dancing, and cheerleading. It includes a full dance studio for practicing routines for a talent show that goes on later on in the camp season and a resident DJ in our Aqua camper dance club.

Show Off Your Creativity

For campers who thrive on creativity, they can put their skills to the test at our Main Street Studios complex. There are a variety of activities here, from ceramics to cooking. Here are just a few of the things included in our creative arts curriculum:

Cooking
Scrapbooking
Arts ‘n Crafts
Painting
Ceramics
Miss Lily’s Salon
Silly Science
Jewelry Making
The World of Wearables (WOW)
Harry J’s House of Clues

Go on an Adventure

If your child loves going on adventures and is a little thrill junkie, Frogbridge can satisfy all of their adrenaline needs! Set sail on the water where we feature bumper boats and “toadally” tubular tubing rides, each equipped with various “water watchers” and other safety personnel. On land, your child will find a plethora of other thrill attractions. Your child can be an Indian Jones with our ropes courses, as well as various obstacles, (2) 500-foot zip lines, beginner rock wall, and our brand new 30-foot rock wall is the biggest and best to be found anywhere. Your camper can also hop on bungee trampolines, go mountain biking, zoom in our Spin Zone bumper cars, step on the gas at our go-kart track, or try for a bull’s-eye shot at archery.

Cool Down

Our aquatics program features daily swim instruction as well as a free swim period every day in our 3 heated, Olympic-sized pools. Our little ones love to splash and play in our wading pool designed just for them! As always, our pools are among the safest in the country with twice as many lifeguards and swim instructors as anyplace else. If the water isn’t enough to cool down our campers on a hot summer day, they love to hop on over to Ribbits Ice Cream Parlour for freshly served ice cream treats or pay a visit to Frogaritas for the most delicious, ice cold frozen slushies found anywhere! Ready to sign your child up for camp this summer?Enroll Now

Our Staff is Dedicated to Making Frogbridge the Safest Experience Possible

By frogbridgedc on February 28th, 2018

Your Child’s Safety is the Top Priority for Team Frogbridge

When it comes to choosing the right camp for your child, safety comes first. With that in mind, I wanted to talk about our incredible staff at Frogbridge and to share our team members‘ qualifications and the training they go through to ensure your child’s safety and comfort. Our team has the enthusiasm, character and experience needed to make Frogbridge the ideal place for each camper.

Transportation Team Member Background Checks

A major factor in making Frogbridge the premier day camp in Monmouth County is our safe, air-conditioned transportation. We offer door-to-door busing for an additional fee and “Central Express” routes from many points in Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer and Middlesex Counties at no extra cost. Our drivers learn their routes in advance and introduce themselves to you and your children to answer any questions or concerns you might have. In addition, each of our transportation team members must pass an extensive background check, including:

Certification of passing a random drug test.
An up-to-date CDL license with no points or previous violations.
Fingerprinting from their current employer or school district.
Proof of three years experience in child transportation.

Specialized Training For Aquatic Activities

Each swim instructor is trained to give your child careful, effective swimming lessons under American Red Cross guidelines. Instructors are required to take an online safety training course, so they know how to maintain a comfortable and safe swimming environment, how to prevent accidents and injuries and how to respond to injured swimmers. After that, they come to Frogbridge to take an in-water skills verification assessment, along with our lifeguards.

Specialized Training for Division Leaders & Counselors

We hire experienced teachers licensed by the State of New Jersey to be our division leaders and we look to hire counselors studying elementary education to work alongside those teachers. Our Counselors-In-Training (C.I.T.) also work alongside licensed teachers. This provides a great learning experience for those looking to further their Frogbridge careers and ensures having multiple team members your children can turn to whenever they feel the need.

Specialized Training for Medical Team Members

Our infirmary is just like your child’s nurses office at school. Both of our nurses, referred to by many of our campers as “camp moms,” are experienced, registered nurses who create a comfortable environment, in which children are well cared for. They are trained to handle numerous situations and to ensure that your children will get the care they need to recover and return to the day’s activities. In addition to our infirmary, many of our team members serve as E.M.T.’s within their communities and have received CPR and First Aid Training. As a “nut aware” facility, we can assure that no nuts are anywhere in our kitchens, so that those children with nut allergies can avoid any possible reaction-causing contact.

Energy, Enthusiasm & Personality

We rely on our team members to celebrate the excitement of the Frogbridge experience with each camper. Team members are selected for their enthusiasm toward their respective roles and to provide a great experience for each camper. Our goals for our campers are for them to grow as people, to form positive relationships and to have a positive role models, while having fun, memorable summers.

Compassion

We want you and your campers to know that they can turn to our team members with any questions or concerns, so their time at Frogbridge is comfortable and safe.

Are you interested in having your child join us?

Enroll Now

What Families Love About Frogbridge

By frogbridgedc on February 13th, 2018

Before you know it, the weather will be warming up and it will be time for summer camp! In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked some of our Frogbridge Families to share what they loved about Frogbridge on Instagram and the responses were overwhelming! We thought we would share some of the various comments from parents and campers alike.

What Both Campers & Parents/Guardians Love About Frogbridge

“The overall vibe of pure friendship and catching the Frogbridge fever!” “My son might say Totally Tubing and making new friends.” “This next summer will be 10th year at Frogbridge. Every summer has been better than the last. All the great activities, phenomenal Friday events and, of course, color war. Can’t wait for next summer!” “Coming back every year (for 13 years) and seeing the amazing opportunities that this camp has to offer! From rock climbing to kayaking, Frogbridge truly has it all!“ “Swimming, arts and crafts, ceramics, & Miss Lilly’s.” “ALL OF IT!!” “Coming back every summer to smiling faces and making lifetime friends!” “True friendships that will last a lifetime!!!!!!” “My favorite thing is the zipline and the lunch is AMAZING!!!! #Frogbridge” “Friends and everything.” Here are some of the new and exciting additions to camp this year:

New Rockwall
New 500 ft. Ziplines
New Pool Slides
New Photography Class

We can’t wait to hear from the campers and parents as to what they love most this summer! Want to see Frogbridge for yourself? Visit us at our next open house or call (609) 208-9050 to schedule a private tour.

Did You Know Frogbridge Also Has a Preschool?

By frogbridgedc on December 14th, 2017

Year Round Preschools in Millstone Township, NJ

Looking for a preschool for your child?  Are you interested in giving your children the Frogbridge experience all year long?  If so, we have just the place for you.  We call it Tadpole Village. Led by Dr. Lisa Polvere, the school is owned by Frogbridge and operated with the same high-level expertise you’d expect.

Who Can Attend?

Students can attend from 2 1/2 years old through 6-years-old. There is also a mommy and me program, as well as a before and after care program, available from 7:30a.m.-5p.m. The program even takes children before being toilet trained.

What Amenities Are Available?

With such a beautiful property, the preschool is able to utilize many of the same facilities used for camp, such as Harrison Square Garden, our indoor 6,000 sq ft. gymnasium, as well as an outdoor playground, a computer lab, with a PC for each student in class, a craft studio and more! Classes are held in our Main Street buildings, where many of our youngest campers attend camp. Children even eat lunch and snack in our lunchrooms, located in the same building our classes are offered, which ensures the classrooms will always be clean.

What Does the Curriculum Cover?

Our curriculum is very hands on. The children have so much fun they do not even realize they’re learning! We utilize Everyday Math, and a phonics-based reading program called Let’s Begin With the Letter People, for all of our preschool students, while our kindergarten students also work with McMillian-McGraw Hill Treasures. With such an extraordinary facility, rather than taking our students on field trips we take the field trips to Tadpole Village.  Events even include bringing in penguins from Jenkinson’s Aquarium!

How Many Students Are in Each Class & What Safety Precautions Are Taken?

Class sizes are small, with ratios as low as one teacher to five children for our youngest students and one to up to ten for our kindergarten classes. This allows the teacher more one-on-one time, working at each child’s individual level. We have licensed teachers and mature adult moms on staff that truly want to be here and it shows in how nurturing and caring they truly are. All administrators, teachers and aids are trained in CPR, first aid and epi-pen use. Our staff members will go to great lengths to ensure the well-being of our students.

What Events Take Place at Tadpole Village?

There is always something special going on at Tadpole Village. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the fun special events keeping our students and their families involved throughout the year:

- October – It’s time for our Halloween event called The Frogtoberfest! Hayrides, pumpkin picking, trick or treating magic shows, petting zoo’s, carnival rides, a Halloween parade and so much more!
- November -  A Thanksgiving feast catered by Chef Will, our executive chef from our own Windows on the Water catering hall. Our menu includes turkey with all the fixing.
- December – Our Holiday Show featuring our children singing live on stage, as well as a visit from Santa Claus!
- February – It’s Special Person Day! Children bring in a special person to spend time with them, such as an aunt or uncle.
- March – It’s time to celebrate Read Across America – Mystery readers come in and surprise the children. This is usually a child’s family member reading a book to the class. The children are so excited when their own mystery reader arrives!
- April – The chicks are here! The pre-incubated chicks arrive and the children enjoy watching them hatch!
- May – Mother’s and Father’s Day is celebrated with a catered parent picnic on our property.  Preschool families can go boating, play mini golf and utilize many of the sports offered throughout the camp’s facility.
- June – It’s time for our stepping up ceremony for the 2 and 3-year-olds and our graduation day for our Pre-K/Kindergarten Class, including a cap and gown ceremony as well as a delicious barbecue catered by Windows on the Water.

Other ways we engage the children throughout the year include a monthly music program visit, in addition to the music we offer in class. We also bring in Scholastic for a book fair twice each year, where the children love picking out their own books. This also encourages them to want to read.  Just like Frogbridge Day Camp, we take pictures that you can view online, so you can see your little one at school. Professional photos are taken twice a year too! Our programs help to develop your child’s skills for future academic success using their own creativity. Tadpole Village Preschool is dedicated to developing your child’s social and academic skills through active, age-appropriate activities. With a sensitivity to every child’s varying abilities and learning styles, our educational program provides your child with the foundations for learning with opportunities for choice, experimentation, creativity and problem-solving. Want to learn more? Call 609-208-2114 and speak with director, Dr. Lisa Polvere or email her at [email protected].

How Frogbridge Gives Back to Monmouth County & Beyond

By frogbridgedc on November 15th, 2017

How Our Campers, Staff & Parents Give Back to the Community

Here at Frogbridge, we’re thankful for each and every one of our campers and the smiles they bring to our team members faces every day. While many people think of giving back to those in need around the holidays, Frogbridge tries to also give back in times where donations may be scarce and there is a high demand. This is what we like to call campers helping kids. We feel that it is our job to not only teach our campers to swim, dance, and play, but also how giving back to those who are less fortunate is a great thing to do. Here are some of the ways we give back throughout the year.

Summer Fundraisers

Each summer, Frogbridge hosts food drives and fundraisers for groups such as the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Fulfill NJ, the JAR of Hope Organization for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, among others. Highlights of our fundraisers include raising tens of thousands of dollars for childhood cancer and juvenile diabetes.

Birthday Cards & Boxes

What would camp be without the celebration of all of our campers’ birthdays! We don’t only celebrate the birthdays of all of our campers, but we also celebrate the birthdays of children we don’t even know. Our annual “birthday boxes” tradition involves our campers making birthday cards for children facing poverty or life-threatening diseases. Our arts and crafts constructor decorates the boxes collected by our team members and all birthday cards will be put inside. Also in each box are birthday cake mix, icing, candles, and gift cards donated by Frogbridge Daycamp and its team members.

Toy Donations From Frogtoberfest

As you may already know, Frogtoberfest is one of the most popular events we hold all year round. The best part? The voluntary price of admission for the entire day with all of the amenities is quite simple…one new, unwrapped toy per household. We’re able to bring donations to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia during the holiday season, and the K Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore Medical Center during the spring. Thanks to the increased participation in our Frogtoberfest toy drives, we’ve been able to add the Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to our roster of hospitals we donate toys to. Here are some other organizations that benefit from our toy drives:

Thank you to all of the parents and campers who make it possible for us to give back each year. Want to learn more about “what’s hoppening” at Frogbridge?